Have any of the Brits. recently renewed their passports at an embassy?
I had a look at the Madrid embassy website and was shocked by the price. Is it cheaper to send it home to where you had it issued in the first place?
Thanks.

I got a new one last year as I'd run out of pages. I paid the 85 pounds too plus postage for recorded delivery

This was from China, first I sent the application to Hong Kong, they sent it to the UK and it was posted back to me from there.
Took three weeks altogether.

I didn't have to send them my old passport either as it's a legal requirement to have your passport on you at all times here in China. So just a photocopy of the information and visa pages was sufficient.

I applied through the Post Office (who actually check that everything on the application form is correct, such as the signature not going outside the white box and the witness date being the same as the application form !) and they "fast track" it.

I was quoted 3-6 weeks, but it arrived in 10 days. However, it was November. I would guess the waiting time increases as the summer approaches.